1611 KJV Bible Available Online
Many readers may recall my earlier post on the 1611 KJV Bible. It turns out that many CAS visitors are interested in the 1611 KJV BIble. Also most King James Only (KJO) Christians have never seen the 1611 KJV Bible and have no idea what was included in it besides the Old and New Testaments. I have found a complete copy of the 1611 KJV Bible scanned and online. This post will describe the additional 1611 KJV materials that have long since been removed or replaced. each section title is a click-able link to the scanned 1611 KJV Bible at the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image (SCETI).
Epistle Dedicatorie. This is the dedication which begins "To the Most High and Mightie Prince, James by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, defender of the Faith." On the second page, at the bottom of the first paragraph, I noted the epistle reads "...by caring for the Church as a most tender and loving nursing Father." Interesting, The KJV translators refer to James as Father with a capital "F". So much for "call no man Father" (Matthew 23:9). Seemingly, the KJV translators interpret Matthew 23:9 with a different meaning than many Protestants in this day and age.
The Translators to the Reader. This eleven page section of the KJV Bible is among the most interesting as it gives the background and thoughts by the translators on how the KJV Bible came to be. On page 7, the second paragraph starts with "Nay, we affirm and avow that the meanest translation of the Bible in English is the word of God." By meanest, the translators are saying the poorest. So the KJV translators considered even the worst translation of the Bible in English to be the word of God. Anyone with a smattering of Bible history knows that by 1611 there were dozens of English translations of the Bible. The KJV translators recognized all those translations as the word of God. So much for most of the King James only (KJO) arguments of many modern Christian sects.
The Liturgical Calendar. The Calendar consists of twelve pages with one page dedicated to each month. Each page provides the time the suns rise and falls and a listing of the corresponding readings for morning and evening scriptures and psalms for those praying the Minor Hours. Each calendar page also lists the Principal Feasts and Principal Holy Days, Festivals, and Lesser Festivals. One of the most interesting entires is on the December calendar which clearly list the 8th day as the Conception of Mary. Mary is also listed on August 15th. The translators of the King James Bible obviously had great honor for Mary and went to obvious efforts to ensure that the Mother of our Lord received the honor due her on her feastivals.
An Almanac for 39 Years. The inclusion of the almanac is interesting. It seems 39 years was chosen to provide liturgical dates until 1650, a mid-point for the century. The almanac provides the dates for Septuagesima, the first day of Lent (Ash Wednesday), Easter, Ascension Day, Whitsunday (Pentecost), and the first Sunday of Advent. The almanac also provides the Golden number and Epact for each year.
The Names and Order of all the Books. The list of all the books includes a list of "The Books called Apochrypha".
The Genealogies of Holy Scripture.
The Alphabetical Table of Canaan. This several page table cross-references names found in the Old Testament to their location in the 1611 KJV Bible.
Map of the Holy Land. The map is a beautiful two page print illustration that is located in the middle of the Alphabetical Table of Canaan.
Apochrypha. While many modern KJV Bibles omit the Septuagint writings known as Apochrypha, the original 1611 KJV Bible retained these writings. The Apochrypha continued to appear in the KJV Bible until around 1825, when both the British and American Bible Societies refused to pay publishers for KJV Bibles unless the Apochrypha was removed. The Apochrypha is making a come back and several modern KJV publishers include these books. One final note, the Apochrypha is not considered canon by just Roman Catholics, but also by the Greek, Slavonic/Russian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian, and Armenian Churchs. Kevin P. Edgecomb of Biblicalia blog has published a Chart of Old Testament Biblical Canons.
Margin Notes. The translators included margin notes all through the 1611 KJV Bible. Sometimes the notes are about alternative meanings. Other margin notes are cross references to related scripture. For example, the title of this paragraph links to a magnified view of a margin note from Wisdom 2:1, an Apochryphal text. Note that the translators cited Wisdom 2:1 as being related to Matthew 22:23 and 1Cor 15:32. All three passages speak to the doctrine of the resurrection. Interesting. Finally, the hundreds of margin notes are in opposition to a modern KJO myth that the 1611 KJV Bible did not include margin notes. The photographic evidence is overwhelmingly against the myth.
I hope the above descriptions of materials that were once part of the 1611 King James version of the Bible, will inspire you to spend some time getting acquainted with this historic book. Perhaps some of you will recover the Minor Hours, observe Lent, or celebrate the festival of a favorite saint.
Source: 1611 KJV Bible
Epistle Dedicatorie. This is the dedication which begins "To the Most High and Mightie Prince, James by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, defender of the Faith." On the second page, at the bottom of the first paragraph, I noted the epistle reads "...by caring for the Church as a most tender and loving nursing Father." Interesting, The KJV translators refer to James as Father with a capital "F". So much for "call no man Father" (Matthew 23:9). Seemingly, the KJV translators interpret Matthew 23:9 with a different meaning than many Protestants in this day and age.
The Translators to the Reader. This eleven page section of the KJV Bible is among the most interesting as it gives the background and thoughts by the translators on how the KJV Bible came to be. On page 7, the second paragraph starts with "Nay, we affirm and avow that the meanest translation of the Bible in English is the word of God." By meanest, the translators are saying the poorest. So the KJV translators considered even the worst translation of the Bible in English to be the word of God. Anyone with a smattering of Bible history knows that by 1611 there were dozens of English translations of the Bible. The KJV translators recognized all those translations as the word of God. So much for most of the King James only (KJO) arguments of many modern Christian sects.
The Liturgical Calendar. The Calendar consists of twelve pages with one page dedicated to each month. Each page provides the time the suns rise and falls and a listing of the corresponding readings for morning and evening scriptures and psalms for those praying the Minor Hours. Each calendar page also lists the Principal Feasts and Principal Holy Days, Festivals, and Lesser Festivals. One of the most interesting entires is on the December calendar which clearly list the 8th day as the Conception of Mary. Mary is also listed on August 15th. The translators of the King James Bible obviously had great honor for Mary and went to obvious efforts to ensure that the Mother of our Lord received the honor due her on her feastivals.
An Almanac for 39 Years. The inclusion of the almanac is interesting. It seems 39 years was chosen to provide liturgical dates until 1650, a mid-point for the century. The almanac provides the dates for Septuagesima, the first day of Lent (Ash Wednesday), Easter, Ascension Day, Whitsunday (Pentecost), and the first Sunday of Advent. The almanac also provides the Golden number and Epact for each year.
The Names and Order of all the Books. The list of all the books includes a list of "The Books called Apochrypha".
The Genealogies of Holy Scripture.
The Alphabetical Table of Canaan. This several page table cross-references names found in the Old Testament to their location in the 1611 KJV Bible.
Map of the Holy Land. The map is a beautiful two page print illustration that is located in the middle of the Alphabetical Table of Canaan.
Apochrypha. While many modern KJV Bibles omit the Septuagint writings known as Apochrypha, the original 1611 KJV Bible retained these writings. The Apochrypha continued to appear in the KJV Bible until around 1825, when both the British and American Bible Societies refused to pay publishers for KJV Bibles unless the Apochrypha was removed. The Apochrypha is making a come back and several modern KJV publishers include these books. One final note, the Apochrypha is not considered canon by just Roman Catholics, but also by the Greek, Slavonic/Russian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian, and Armenian Churchs. Kevin P. Edgecomb of Biblicalia blog has published a Chart of Old Testament Biblical Canons.
Margin Notes. The translators included margin notes all through the 1611 KJV Bible. Sometimes the notes are about alternative meanings. Other margin notes are cross references to related scripture. For example, the title of this paragraph links to a magnified view of a margin note from Wisdom 2:1, an Apochryphal text. Note that the translators cited Wisdom 2:1 as being related to Matthew 22:23 and 1Cor 15:32. All three passages speak to the doctrine of the resurrection. Interesting. Finally, the hundreds of margin notes are in opposition to a modern KJO myth that the 1611 KJV Bible did not include margin notes. The photographic evidence is overwhelmingly against the myth.
I hope the above descriptions of materials that were once part of the 1611 King James version of the Bible, will inspire you to spend some time getting acquainted with this historic book. Perhaps some of you will recover the Minor Hours, observe Lent, or celebrate the festival of a favorite saint.
Source: 1611 KJV Bible
Labels: Bible, KJO, KJV, Liturgy, Reformation
1 Comments:
Timothy:
I appreciate your thoughtful comments on my blog. I don't get a lot of traffic, so I'm shocked whenever I get a comment, much less one from someone I don't even know!
I have a tremendous amount of respect for faith traditions with a deep and meaningful liturgy and traditions that have lasted long. My heritage has only been around for about 150 years, and we often tend to be very myopic in our focus. It is true that I don't know much about the Catholic faith, and I will take the time to read through the links that you posted for me. I appreciate this opportunity for dialogue with you!
Grace & Peace,
Kevin
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